Triple Talaq Bill clears Rajya Sabha | Fusion - WeRIndia

At last, the Triple Talaq bill passed in the Rajya Sabha yesterday. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill which was brought to Parliament around 19 months ago for the first time, constantly failed to clear the Rajya Sabha test.

Though it failed last time, this time it was passed in the opposition-dominated upper house with 99 Ayes and 84 Noes.

The Bill passed in the Lok Sabha with 303 ayes and 82 noes last week.

Earlier, in 2017, the Supreme Court in a verdict declared that instant triple talaq is unconstitutional. The bill followed after the verdict.

Several members abstained from voting while some others walked out. Finally, the bill passed in the Rajya Sabha.

Some opposition parties including SP and BSP, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and YSR-Congress helped the government by their absence.

The BJD supported the bill. The AIADMK and JD (U) decided to abstain from voting which helped to bring down to effective strength of the members. As a result, the majority mark was lowered which normally stands at 121.

The bill criminalises instant triple talaq and demands a three-year jail term for violations. It was the first draft legislation tabled by the Modi government in this first session of the government’s second term.

The government says that this move is a step towards promoting gender equality and justice.

The ruling BJP says that it is a historic day while the opposition parties criticized that the bill would create a lack of trust in the society.

Many opposition parties demanded further deliberation and scrutiny of the bill. They are saying that the three-year jail term is a blunder in the law and the proposed bill would be misused to victimise Muslims.

Image credit: Photo by G from Pexels (Free for commercial use)

Image Reference: https://www.pexels.com/photo/india-islam-islamic-women-muslim-1067599/